General Information
Fiddleheads are unique in both appearance and flavor. The young shoots of the fern are tightly wound into a circular button-like shape. Fuzzy tawny brown scales cover the kelly green stems, serving as a protective element for the plant at its youthful growing stage. The texture is crunchy and succulent with a slightly gelatinous flesh. The flavor of raw Fiddleheads is both grassy and woodsy with a notably tannic and mineral-like finish. Cooked Fiddleheads develop fuller flavor with rich notes of artichoke and pine nuts and the tannic finish dissipates.
History
The Ostrich fern grows wild throughout North America from British Columbia to Northeastern Canadian Provinces and Northeastern United States. It is also found in limited regions of Alaska including the Kenai Peninsula and Anchorage. The Lady fern is a Western fern variety with growing ranges from California to Alaska. Disjunct populations of Lady ferns have been found growing in Ontario and Quebec. The Ostrich fern thrives in moist shady bottomlands and stream banks. The lady fern is less discerning: it can be found in wet woodlands, open meadows and above timberline. The Fiddlehead represents one of the most important growing periods of the fern’s life cycle. Ferns regenerate through the spreading of rhizomes (root structure). The fronds specifically emerge from the soil to seek out and provide nutrients for the plant’s root system before the fronds die back in the fall months. Overharvesting of Fiddleheads from the same plant can exhaust the root’s nutrient reserve to the point of killing the plant.
